Crabbing Season in Puget Sound

There's nothing quite like the exhilaration you feel when you raise that crab pot from the cold depths of Puget Sound and find it full of wonderful, tasty Dungeness crabs. If you like that feeling, it's time to unearth your crab pots, check your rot cord, grab some fish carcasses for bait and head out on the water.

Crab Fishing Schedule

Sometimes it's tough to follow when you can and can't get out there and start crabbing – so we've tried to break it down for you. The information below breaks down the current information for crab fishing in the Puget Sound region. Click here for a map of the areas below for updates from the Washington department of fish and wildlife, or for more specific information on each area (like why your area may be closed).

UPDATED December 2023

• Marine Area 1 (South Coast/Pacific Ocean) - Open everyday, year-round for Crab gear other than pots, open for crab pots Dec. 1 through Sept. 15th
• Marine Area 1 (Columbia River) - Open everyday, year-round
• Marine Area 2 (Westport/Ocean Shores) - Open everyday, year-round for Crab gear other than pots, open for crab pots Dec. 1 through Sept. 15th
• Marine Area 2 (Willapa Bay - Area 2-1) - Open everyday, year-round for Crab gear other than pots, open for crab pots November 15th through Sept. 15th
• Marine Area 2 (Grays Harbor - Area 2-2) - Open everyday, year-round for Crab gear other than pots, open for crab pots Dec. 1 through Sept. 15th
• Marine Area 3 (LaPush) - Open everyday, year-round for Crab gear other than pots, open for crab pots Dec. 1 through Sept. 15th
• Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay - East of Bonilla-Tatoosh line) - Winter season is open daily from October 1 through December 31
• Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay - West of Tatoosh-Bonilla line) - Open everyday, year-round for Crab gear other than pots, open for crab pots Dec. 1 through Sept. 15th
• Marine Area 5 (Sekiu and Pillar Point) - Winter season is open daily from October 1 through December 31
• Marine Area 6 (East Juan de Fuca Strait, Port Angeles Harbor, Discovery Bay) - Winter season is open daily from October 1 through December 31
• Marine Area 7 (South - San Juan Islands/Bellingham) - Winter season is open daily from October 1 through December 31
• Marine Area 7 (North - Gulf of Georgia) - Winter season is open daily from October 1 through December 31
• Marine Area 8-1 (Deception Pass - Area 8-1) - Winter season is open daily from October 1 through December 31
• Marine Area 8-2 (Port Susan/Everett - Area 8-2) - Winter season is open daily from October 1 through December 31
• Marine Area 9 (Port Gamble/Port Ludlow) - The portion of Marine Area 9 north of the Hood Canal bridge to a line connecting Olele Point and Foulweather Bluff. Winter season is open daily from October 1 through December 31
• Marine Area 9 (Admiralty Inlet) - The portion of Marine Area 9 north of the Hood Canal bridge to a line connecting Olele Point and Foulweather Bluff. Winter season is open daily from October 1 through December 31
• Marine Area 10 (Seattle/Bremerton) - Closed until summer 2024
• Marine Area 11 (Tacoma-Vashon Island) - Closed until summer 2024
• Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal - North of Ayock Point) - Winter season is open daily from October 1 through December 31
• Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal - South of Ayock Point) - Closed until further notice
• Marine Area 13 (South Puget Sound) - Closed until further notice

Recreational Crab Fishing Rules

For those of you that like to participate in this annual adventure, it's important to follow a few simple rules:

• In Puget Sound, Straits of Juan de Fuca and San Juan Islands you must have a license and keep a record of crab you keep. Immediately record your catch in pen on your catch record. If you don't the WDFW enforcement officer will be sure to loan you theirs after they make you sign your ticket!
• Kids under 14 don't need a license – but do need a catch record.
• If Dad or Grandma is driving the dinghy while young Suzi is bringing up the crab pot – they better have a license as they are considered to be part of the fun.
• If fishing for crab on the Washington Coast or the Columbia River – you need a license (if you're over 14) but you are not required to keep a catch record.
• The daily limit for crab fishers throughout Puget Sound is five Dungeness crab, males only, in hard-shell condition with a minimum carapace width of 6 1/4 inches. Fishers may catch six red rock crab of either sex per day, provided those crab measure at least 5 inches across (hardshell only!). Need a new crab gauge? Try this one!
• Crab fishers may not set or pull shellfish gear from a vessel from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise. All shellfish gear must be removed from the water on closed days.
• All recreational crabbers, regardless of age, must return their catch record cards by mail or report them online – even if you did not go crabbing or catch any crab. The deadline for returning summer and winter catch cards is printed on each catch card. If crabbers fail to return their catch card they will be required to pay a $10 fine before they can purchase another crab endorsement.

Why do you have to deal with submitting a catch card? Because the state fishery managers need that information to estimate the “recreational harvest numbers” for the year (how much all you fun-loving crabbers caught) and to help set future crabbing “opportunities”. By keeping an honest record of your catch, you are playing a vital role in maintaining a future where you can keep doing what you love – fishing for crab.

Now that you've got all the information you need, to make sure you have your best crabbing season ever, check out our great selection of crabbing gear or feel free to contact our experts at (800) 426-6930 for more help.